We’re honouring the men and women who have served to protect our country with a commemorative round-up for Remembrance Day. Global News staff reflected on their own experience and answered the question; “What does Remembrance Day mean to you?”
Tony Tighe’s family sets a good example for Canadians
Around Remembrance Day, I think about the examples our veterans have set for us. Besides their service to our country and those who fought for our freedom, their values are ones we should all learn to follow. I learned first-hand from my father, CWO Lew Tighe. He served from 1952 to 1987 in the Canadian Air Force and as a United Nations Peace Keeper. He passed away in 2013 but his work ethic, dedication and moral values are things I still live by today.
On November 11 I also draw upon the memories of my grandfather, Jacob Carberry. He was with the Royal Edmonton Regiment in WWI and wounded in the battle at Ypres in 1915. He was shot in the head and found alive eight days later. He survived and became a world traveler and poet. His life experiences and the example he set were passed down through my mother to me.
I have a lot to be thankful for and it all starts with my connection to our veterans.
Tony Tighe is Global News Calgary’s Consumer Reporter
Laura Casella remembers her grandfather Nonno Giuseppe
My late grandfather, Nonno Giuseppe, was a prisoner of war in Italy during World War II. As a child, I remember him sharing some of the horrors of being imprisoned. After the war, he moved his family, his wife and seven children, including my father, to Canada in search of a better life.
Remembrance Day to me means honouring our brave soldiers who put everything on the line, including their lives, so that we could live in a free, prosperous and democratic society. We owe our veterans, young and old, a debt of gratitude for everything they have done for us. Thank you doesn’t seem like enough, but it’s the least we can do, not only today, but every day.
Laura Casella is Global Morning News’ Anchor in Montreal
Linda Olsen reflects on her family’s wartime experience
Remembrance Day has many important meanings to me. It’s a poignant day when we honour the lives lost and the service of so many men and women; it is also a day of great hope.
When I see our Global News coverage of young people taking the time to visit a soldier’s grave and pausing to pay tribute, I am inspired.
It is also a day when I think of my own family members and their wartime experience. My parents grew up in Denmark during World War II when the country was under German occupation. They were very young. My dad, in particular, recalls his older brother Leif sneaking out late at night. It would be many years before my dad learned that his brother was part of the Danish underground movement, hiding Danish Jews and helping to get many of them to safety in Sweden by secretly ferrying them in fishing boats.
To today’s generation, those experiences can seem like a lifetime ago and a world away, but we must help them understand it wasn’t that long ago. I was fortunate enough to take my three children to Denmark a few years back, a trip we made with my parents. As we toured parts of the country and they shared their memories of wartime, I said to my kids, “Please listen to these stories. It may not resonate at the moment but what happened during that war, and your great uncle’s part in standing up for what was right, is now part of your story too.”
We must always remember.
Linda Olsen is Global News Calgary’s Global News at 5 and Global News Hour at 6 Anchor